Machine for shaping and molding plastic materials



7 (No Model.)

0:11. CHASE. MACHINE FOR SHAPING AND MOLDING PLASTIC MATERIALS.

Patented Oct. 25,1892.

I [nienior M'inesses UNITED STATES PATENT. OFFICE.

OLIVER R. CHASE, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO THE ALGON- QUIN MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF PORTLAND, MAINE.

MACHINE FOR SHAPING AND MOLDING PLASTIC MATERIALS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent 110.484,?77, dated October 25, 1892.

Application filed February 17, 1392. Serial No. 21,830. (N model.)

To aZ Z whom it may concern: nozzle D which consists of a short conical col- Be it known that I, OLIVER R. CHASE, of lar, after compressing the confectionery, soap, Boston, county of Sufiolk, and State of Masor other material through a short distance sachusetts, have invented certain new and of its length abruptly discharges it into the 5 useful Improvements in Machines for Shapair, with the result that, the back-pressure in mg and Molding Plastic Materials, of which the cylinders being thus quickly reduced, the the following is a full specification. material is not combined in a perfectly-smooth My invention consists in certain improved mass, (unless it is soft or pasty,) but is apt to features of construction in machines of the be cracked or uneven, especially around the to class shown and described in my United edges, in the case of material having the con- States Letters Patent, No. 279,133, dated June sistency of soap, for instance. It is to obviate 12, 1883, for a machine for molding, shaping, these difficulties that 1 have made the ima nd combining confectionery and other plasprovements herewith shown and hereinafter tic materials, my improvements having spedescribed in detail, which, while especially 15 cial reference to the adaptation of a machine adapted to machines for the production of of this claes t'o the smooth molding and shapsoap of fine grades, is equally applicable to mg of soap and to the production of a more machines for working many other plastic maintricate and perfectly-formed design therein terials. than is possible with the construction shown Referring to the accompanying drawings, 20 in said Letters Patent No. 279,133. In the Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional View of last-mentioned patent the design-shaping nozan apparatus embodying my invention. Fig. 210 forming the outlet to the inner horizontal 2 is an end view of the cylinder within which feeding-screw is not held firmly enough within the design -forn1ing nozzles are contained, the outer nozzle to admit of any but the simshowing the dogs which hold said nozzles. 25 plestdesigns being perfectly produced, for un- Fig. 3 is an enlarged section in the plane of der the enormous twisting or torsional press- 00 00, Fig. 1. Figs. at and 5 are end views of ure in opposite direction to which the two the design-forming nozzles, and Fig. (3 shows difierently-colored materials are subjected bea cake of soap produced. fore being combined in one mass it is of the A, B, and O are three vertical receiving- 3o utmost importance in producing perfect decylinders, of which A is the cylinder for the signs that both the inner and the outer nozmaterial to form the outer portion of the soap zles are held perfectly rigid and firm, while at stick, while B and G are to contain differentthe same time easily detachable to admit of colored soap material for the interior design. producing designs of varying size and shape. A B O are horizontal cylinders integral," 3 5 Furthermore, in said patent, No. 279,133, the respectively, with the vertical cylinders A, B, inner nozzle, which shapes the design, and the and C, in axial line therewith, said cylinders outer nozzle, which determines the form or A B 0 closing the bottoms of the cylinders outline of the stick or bar of confectionery, A, B, and O and communicating therewith soap, or other plastic material, are not propupon their upper sides. 0 4o erly arranged with reference to each other to D, E, and F are three feed-screws or screwperfectly produce a finished design of anypistons, working, respectively, in the cylinthing but the simplest nature, since it is obders A, B, and O and secured on the vertical vious from the construction therein shown revoluble sleeve-shafts D, E, and F, whereand described that the entire mass as it passes by they are caused to revolve within said cyl- 5 45 through the conical nozzle D is further cominders.

pressed after the material for the design has K, L, and M are three horizontal doublepassed out of the inner nozzle and become a threaded feed-screws, of which K and L are part of said mass, with the result that the dehollow cylinders with spirals on the outside sign thus produced tends to become distorted. thereof, the screw K being revoluble within I00 50 It will be noticed, also, by reference to said the cylinder A the screw L being revoluble Patent No. 279,133 that the outer dischargewithin the hollow interior of the screw Kand within the cylinder B and the screw M being revoluble within the hollow interior of the screw L and within the cylinder C Said screws K, L, and M have rearwardly-extending plain cylindrical ends K, L, and M, which are mounted in suitable bearings and have fixed thereon the bevel gear-Wheels K L and M respectively, which, being driven by suitable gearing, give motion to the screws in opposite directions, the spiral on the middle screw L being oppositely formed from those on the screws K and M.

The screw K has a suitable bearing at in the horizontal cylinder B and the screw L has an end hearing at Z in the horizontal cylinder The construction and operation of the receiving-cylinders, with their screwpistons, and of the horizontal cylinders, with the screws K, L, and M, are up to this point practically identical with that of the correpresent case and only two in my said patent. Of course the number of receiving-cylim' ders and screws is immaterial. With three cylinders and corresponding parts I am enabled to form a soap stick with three colors, there being two colors in the design.

The forward end of the cylinder A isscrewthreaded, and over this is adapted to be screwed the inner end of the removable cylinder G, the outer end of which is flanged, as at g, and has bolted thereto the recessed collar N.

H is the burnishing and shaping tube, having the inner flange P, which flangcfits and is held in the recess of the collar N.

The removable cylinder G is provided with recesses g, in which are adapted to fit the arms 25 on the dog T, said dog T being similarly provided with recesses 15, within which are adapted to fit the arms 0" on the dog S, all so arranged that the dogs T and S are firmly held within the removable cylinder G when the same is screwed onto the cylinder A, but may readily be detached from said removable 7 cylinder and replaced by other dogs of (litterent sizes when required.

The screw K, which has its rear bearing at 7c in the cylinder B bears in front in thereation of the cylinder A being of the same design-forming nozzles Band 0, which are respectively screwed to said dogs, the construction being such that the passage-way forward from each horizontal screw K, L, and M starts with the outer diameter of the screw and narrows down toward the" outer end.

The outer burnishing and shaping tube H is considerably smaller than the removable cylinder G, forming, as herein shown, a shoulder at p. This contracts the passage-way for the soap fed out by the large screw K.

The small screw M feeds the soap forward from the cylinder 0 into the dog S, through which it passes into and through the nozzle B, being considerably contracted in sectional area after it leaves the screw. For a consid-. erable portion of its length, however, the nozzle R preferably has practically the same sectional area near the discharge end thereof.

The middle screw L feeds its soap from the cylinder B into the dog T, through which it passes into and through the nozzle 0,-aronnd the dog S and the nozzle R, the soap from said nozzle 0 beingcompacted by the narrowing down of the passage and pressed upon the soap delivered from the nozzle R.

The nozzle 0 is extended sufficiently far forward to enter the shaping and burnishi'ng tube H, which is of proper section to form the exterior mass of the soap into the desired shape. The soap fed from the cylinder A by thescrew K passes through the removable cylinder G, around the dog "T and the nozzle O, a11d,meeting the shoulder 13, is compacted and pressed upon the soap issuing from said nozzle 0, the whole mass being fed out in a continuous bar through the sh-aping and burnishing tube H, which forms the outlet to the machine.

The nozzle R extends far enough forward so that it terminates in the portion of the nozzle 0 that is of uniform sectional area, while, as above said, the nozzle 0 is extended till it enters the bnrnishing and forming tube 1-1, which is preferably of uniform sectional area throughout. By this construction it will be seen that as the soap passes from each nozzle it is not further contracted in area after being enveloped in soap from the next larger nozzle or passage-way, the construction having taken place in each case before being discharged from the nozzle.

The employment of a long burnishing-and forming tube I-I instead of a short conical nozzle like that represented by D in my said patent, No. 279,133, is of great importance for the reason that with a short nozzle the outer soap material, after being pressed on the design portion, is at once discharged into the The dogs Sand T serve to hold firmly the l pressure through the cylinders, and the soap IIO as it issues frdmthe tube is of very fine texture, being perfectly smooth and even, and possesses at the same time a brilliant luster, so that the tube acts as a burnisher as well as a shaper. The tubular extensions of the design-forming nozzles O and R in like manner serve to keep the designs smooth and distinct, acting to some extent in the same manner as the shaping and burnishing tube H.

By the words tube and tubular I do not necessarily mean of circular section. Indeed, the burnishing and forming tube H may be of any desired shape. As herein shown it is heart-shaped in section, Fig. 6 showing a cake of soap cut from a bar as delivered from such an apparatus as that shown and described, in which G is the outer soap material fed from the cylinder A, O a soap of different color fed from the cylinder B, and R a soap of still different color fed from cylinder O, the nozzles O and B being of required shape .to mold the design.

The design-forming nozzles, as well as the dogs which hold them, are readily removable, as will be seen, and on account of the positive manner in which the dogs are held there is no tendency of the nozzles to twist with the screws and thus mar the design.

I claim- 1. In a machine for molding and shaping plastic materials, the combination of a hollow cylinder, a feed-screw revoluble in said cylinder, and an outlet-forming burnishing and shaping tube having a forming-nozzle entering its rear end, substantially as described.

2. In a machine for molding and shaping plastic materials, the combination, with a hollow vertical feed-cylinder, of a vertical feed-screw revoluble therein, a hollow horizontal cylinder in axial line with said vertical cylinder and communicating therewith, a horizontal feed-screw revoluble in said horizontal cylinder, and an outlet-forming burnishing andshaping tube of uniform diameter, with a forming-nozzle entering its rear end, substantially as and for the purposes described.

3. In a machine for molding and shaping plastic materials, the combination of a hollow cylinder, a series of feed-screws, each revoluble in the one next larger, and a series of contracted passage-ways forming independent outlets to each screw, said passage-ways having tubular extensions, each extension being of uniform area for a considerable distance back from the outlet thereof, substantially as and for the purposes described.

4. In a machine for molding and shaping plastic materials, the combination of a hollow cylinder, a series of feed-screws, each revoluble in the one next larger, and a series of nozzleholding and passage-forming dogs, each dog having arms seated in recesses in the passage next larger, all arranged and constructed substantially as and for the purposes described.

5. In a machine for molding and shaping plastic materials, the combination of a hollow cylinder provided with a recessed outlet-passage, a hollow cylindrical feed-screw revoluble in said cylinder, a second inner feed-screw revoluble in said hollow cylindrical feedscrew, and a passage-forming and nozzleholding dog provided with arms seated 1n the recesses of said outlet-passage, said lnner screw having bearings in said dog, substantially as described.

v 6. In a machine for molding and shaping plastic materials, a hollow cylinder provlded with a feed-screw and an outlet-forming b urnishing and shaping tube having compacting and pressing shoulder 19, substantially as shown and described.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

OLIVER R. CHASE.

Witnesses:

W. B. H. Dowsu, ALBERT E. LEACH. 

